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NSF funds UNM nanotechnology project designed to make solar cells more efficient

September 21, 2016
- Kim Delker, School of Engineering News

Sang Eon Han

Sang Eon Han, CHTM Faculty Member and Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is the Principal Investigator (PI) for the UNM project, which has received nearly $1 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The project began Sept. 1, 2016, and will continue through Aug. 31, 2020.

CHTM Faculty Members Sang M. Han, Regents' Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering; and Steven R. J. Brueck, Director Emeritus of CHTM and Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Electrical and Computer Engineering; are Co-PIs along with Randall Schunk, a national laboratory professor with Chemical and Biological Engineering and Nick Flor, an associate professor in the Anderson School of Management.

The UNM group will develop a way to produce solar cells using nanotechnology, which could translate into more cost-effective solar panels for residences and businesses.

Flor will be working with the engineering team to develop immersive, interactive visualization of the scientific concepts in the project for use in middle and high schools to encourage students to become interested in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines.

The grant of nearly $1 million over four years will support the science and engineering to make solar cells more efficient by trapping the sunlight more effectively than currently possible, said Sang Eon Han.

Sang M. Han

“The advantage of our approach is that it could make solar cells more cost-effective and easier to produce,” said Sang M. Han, Regents' Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. “There has been a rapid growth in the number of installed photovoltaic solar energy systems in recent years, and for the number to continue to increase, we must find ways to further reduce the cost of production. The challenge with our method is to ensure that it can make cells easier to produce, which has been a significant challenge in the past.”

Sang Eon Han says their research is unique because it uses nanostructures of “controlled symmetry” in solar cells. “Currently, solar cells are produced with randomly-shaped and macroscopically-sized corrugations to trap sunlight, and that works,” he said. “But our approach makes the cells more effective at trapping sunlight by using nanoscale corrugations with controlled symmetry. We will develop manufacturing processes to integrate the nanoscale structures into solar cells.”

The effective light trapping could reduce the weight of solar cells. Reducing weight continues to be a challenge in solar cell production. Making solar cells lighter and easier to transport and install could expand the use of solar in homes and businesses, the researchers say.

“Right now, 40 percent of commercial buildings cannot support solar panels because the roofs can’t support the weight of them,” said Sang Eon Han. “Crystalline silicon accounts for as much as 30 to 40 percent of a typical solar module cost. By using very thin substrates of this material, we will be able to reduce cost and also create lighter cells that are easier to transport and install.”